1. family and parenting
2. children

TIME OUT :
Using the Outdoors to Enhance
Classroom Performance
A School Readiness Guide for
Teachers and Parents
iStock
From the Publishers of
Ranger Rick Magazine
Kevin J. Coyle
Vice President, Education and Training
1
America’s “Indoor” Children
A new problem is affecting American children and their overall school performance — and
it is likely to worsen in the coming years before it gets better. Specifically, an
American’s childhood has largely moved indoors in the past 15 years. The average
child sits more than six hours a day inside looking at an electronic screen and snacking.
As a result, the healthy and decompressing outdoor play experience many adults had as
children is becoming a thing of the past.
Technology will continue to play and important role in children’s educational and social
lives. But the amount of time kids spend “plugged in” is seriously out of balance. This shift
has deep implications for our children’s capacity to function well in society, starting with
their core readiness to learn in the classroom. Today’s indoor children are distracted, less
fit and have less stamina. They are often more aggressive and hard to manage in the
classroom, as well as less able to relate to each other and to adults on a personal level.
Why should educators who are concerned with promoting higher test scores and
improved student performance be concerned about the indoor child phenomenon?
Offering sufficient outdoor time improves the overall health of our children while lengthening attention spans, diminishing aggressiveness, improving test scores and ultimately
advancing learning. This guide addresses this concern.
School administrations and educators have a critical role to play in reversing the negative
impacts of the increasingly indoor childhood and helping children to experience,
understand, and appreciate nature and the outdoors.
A Kaiser
Family
Foundation
study found
that the
average
American
child spends
44 hours per
week staring
at some kind
of electronic
screen.
BlogPost
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TIME OUT: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance
Children with
well-developed
skills in
communication,
negotiation and
compromise will
be more
effective in
school and
better prepared
for careers and
the work place.
Lack of Outdoor Time Affects Learning Readiness
Increased amounts of indoor activities, like watching TV and playing video games, will
continue to have significant negative effects on children and their ability to be successful.
This behavior means our children are less physically active and healthy, less personally
creative, stressed, over-stimulated, and more isolated from necessary human interaction.
The increasingly indoor lifestyle causes several factors that work against high performance in the classroom.
Shorter Attention Spans
Watching a child play video games or view television is enlightening. Children tune out
the world around them and quickly inhabit a virtual world with images and sounds coming
at them in rapid succession. This intense stimulation can often cause them to be agitated
and impatient, displaying attitudes you would not necessarily expect. This high level of
visual stimulation, for example, affects their vision, nerves, blood pressure, and, studies
indicate, their long term expectations and sense of patience and concentration.
It would be overly simplistic to say that too much electronic media is the cause of
attention deficit problems in children. There are clinical definitions of this condition that
demonstrate its complexity and its mystery. There is no single reason why childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) conditions are on the rise. Some say it is
just improved diagnostic capability, others say it is due to chemicals in the environment
and food, and still others say it is due to over-stimulation by electronic media from the
early years.
The rise in the number of children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/ADHD and the
increase in the use of medications to treat these children suggest that the problem is
partially caused by something in the everyday life of children. It is becoming much clearer
thought that too much indoor screen time contributes to shorter attention spans and less
patience in children and ultimately less readiness to settle down and concentrate in the
classroom.
Increased Aggressive Behavior
It is no secret that children who “act out” in school can be a distraction to students trying
to learn. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, and
American Medical Association all point to the prevailing science showing a causal
relationship between television violence and child aggressiveness.
On the contrary, spending significant time in nature, and engaged in unstructured outdoor
play has a soothing or calming effect on children. In addition to the overall appeasing
aspects of natural settings, environments requiring children to create their own games will
also foster communication and cooperation in children. In unstructured play, they learn to
talk to one another and establish common rules.
MassDistraction-Flickr
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TIME OUT: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance
Higher Stress and Depression
When children do leave the home, they usually have a schedule to keep. Many have
lessons and sessions in art, dance, scouting, organized sports, and more. As students get
older, these organized activities increase, which decreases the amount of relaxed,
unstructured play with other children.
Striving to stay on schedule makes parents feel the stress too, a snowball effect which
can make the situation even worse for the children. Adults often discuss how much of
their own time is spent shuttling kids from activity to activity. It can be costly, time
consuming, and logistically difficult. Despite all the obvious challenges, however, parents
may feel pressure to make sure their child is not missing out on opportunities that might
be available to others. Planning for relaxed and unstructured play with other children can
sometimes be considered a waste of time.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends kids relax and get about
an hour per day of unstructured time to kick back and unwind.
AAP’s 2007 report, "The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and
Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds," points out that play protects children's emotional
development whereas a loss of free time in combination with a hurried lifestyle can be a
source of stress, anxiety, and may even contribute to depression for many children.1
The American
Academy of
Pediatrics
says
American
children are
overscheduled
and often
overextended,
particularly as
they get older.
Ratterell-Flickr
Developmental Gaps: Isolation
A child who spends the majority of his of her time watching television or playing video
games can become isolated and withdrawn.
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, free play
teaches young people to share, cooperate, and resolve problems. Researchers found
that kids who meet with other children, play together, and organize games experience a
very constructive way to avoid social isolation.2
The process of inventing games, setting rules, and selecting teammates all help with social
development and language skills. Unstructured play, including classic outdoor play,
nourishes every aspect a child’s mental and physical health and is essential for optimal
development.
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TIME OUT: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance
Nutrition and Physical Activity Implications
Poor Fitness and Increased Obesity
Watching television consumes about the same number of calories as sleeping. The
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now warns that childhood obesity has reached
epidemic proportions in the U.S.
The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20
years, to 17 percent of children in this age group. The rate of clinically obese adolescents
(aged 12-19) more than tripled, to 17.6 percent.3
Part of the obesity epidemic is due to poor eating habits, though the CDC also
emphasizes that today’s children are more sedentary than ever before. The CDC
concludes that a major missing ingredient is an hour per day of moderate physical
activity. In fact, even children who participate in organized sports are gaining weight.
The primary recommendation focuses on children spending more time playing and
running around, which includes outdoor play. Regular time in nature is a critical tool that
can be used to prevent obesity and encourage physical activity, at no cost.
Sunlight and Vitamin D Deficiencies
According to the first national assessment of Vitamin D in young Americans, millions of
U.S. children have low levels of this crucial nutrient, setting them up for increased risk of
bone problems, heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues.
According to an analysis of federal data representing more than 6,000 children, low
Vitamin D levels are particularly common among girls, adolescents, and people with
darker skin.
Fifty-nine
percent of
African
American
teenage girls
are
Vitamin D
deficient,
according to
federal
analysis.
Low levels of this nutrient are blamed
on a combination of factors,
including a decreased amount of
time going outside and getting healthy
doses of sunlight.4
Eyesight
Duke University’s Medical Center reported in the Journal of the American
Academy of Optometry finds that
incidences of near-sightedness are
increasing nationwide due to lack of
outdoor time. The study said that a
child's chances of becoming
nearsighted, if he or she has two
nearsighted parents, are about 6 in 10
for children who spend 0-5 hours
outside a week, but the risk drops to 2
in 10 when outdoor time exceeds 14
hours a week. Children with better
eyesight have an improved quality
5
experience in the classroom.
JDan57-Flickr
iStock
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TIME OUT: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance
Outdoor Education Improves Classroom and
Behavioral Outcomes
Since the late 1990s, significant academic evidence demonstrates that nature study and
outdoor education programs significantly students’ overall school performance — a term
that includes not just test scores but attitude and behavior as well.
Cooperation and Conflict Resolution
The American Institutes of Research for the California Department of Education looked at
the effects of outdoor camp-like education programs on 255 at-risk, 6th grade students in
a 2005 study.6
Through the program, participating students made significant progress in cooperation and
conflict resolution. Similarly, the study found positive gains in self-esteem, relationships
with peers, attentiveness and willingness to learn.
Important academic benefits included:
•
27-percent improvement and maintenance of science scores
•
Significant benefits to English Learner (EL) students.
While the residential, week-long design of this program indicated a positive effect on the
students, programs with less of an experiential immersion have also improved student
performance as well.
The Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning (EIC
Model™)
43% of kids
want their
parents to
spend more
time
outdoors with
them.
Boys & Girls
Club Survey
In 1998, the State Education and Environment Roundtable (SEER) published a seminal
study on the contribution that environmental education makes to student achievement.
“Closing The Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating Context for
Learning” covered 40 schools across 12 states.
The study found that integrated environmental education programs throughout the
curricula (science, language arts, arts, and social studies) combined with hands-on
learning elements like nature study areas, team teaching, and broad school administration support, created top-performing students.7
A comprehensive follow-up study conducted in 2000 found that EIC classes performed
better in 154 of 201 measures as follows:
Language Arts:
86 of 108
Math:
22 of 34
Science
10 of 15
Social Studies:
10 of 13
Discipline
4 of 4
Attendance
22 of 27
SEER has continued to study the use of the environment as an approach to learning,
showing that integrating environmental studies into other disciplines and teaching
strategies can help solve many of our current problems in education.
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TIME OUT: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance
“Environmental
Education
can help a
struggling
student
become a
competent
student, and a
competent
student grow
into a star.”
Higher Statewide Test Scores
A 2003 study entitled “Environmental Education: Improving Student Achievement”
compared 77 pairs of demographically equivalent schools. Half of the schools had
implemented environmental education (EE) programs for three years or more and the
other half did not have programs.
The study examined standardized test performance in those schools, including the
Washington Assessment of Student Learning, and Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Schools
with EE programs showed higher scores on standardized tests in math, reading,
writing, and listening. The pattern of improved test scores for students who had been
through environmental education programs persisted for the five years of data
investigated (1997-2002).8
Case Studies Verify Improved Performance
The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) published a 2000 report
containing case studies of schools with environment-based programs (five individual
schools, a model school program involving five schools, and a statewide program). The
report compared the test scores (on statewide standardized tests) of students from
environment-based programs with those of students in various statewide or district-wide
comparison groups.9
The report identified other examples of results:
•
All 3rd graders at Hawley Environmental Elementary School in Milwaukee, WI passed
the Wisconsin Reading Comprehension Test, as compared with only 25 percent of
the total Milwaukee public school population.
•
Isaac Dickson Elementary School’s 4th grade students in Asheville, NC achieved a 31
percent increase in math achievement in one year.
•
Scores on college admission ACT tests were higher for students from the School for
Environmental Studies in Apple Valley, MN, than their peers in the district, the state,
and the nation.
•
First graders in the EIC classroom at Kruse Elementary in Pasadena, TX, performed
higher on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills in all categories.
•
Since incorporating environmental issues into the curriculum, Tompkinsville
Elementary and other Kentucky schools have increased their achievement in science,
reading, and social studies on statewide tests.
•
All five schools in Florida’s Model Schools in EE program showed steady increases
over five years on FLORIDA WRITES! and FCAT assessment programs.
Kevin Coyle,
NWF
Vice President for
Education and
Training
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TIME OUT: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance
Thinking And Willingness Improves
The “Environmental Education: Improving Student Achievement” study and other reports
have also found that students performed better on statewide tests even when the subject
matter of the environmental education programming was different from what was actually
on the test. One reason may be related to student motivation and willingness to learn.10
Environmental Education Creates More Motivated and Competent
Students
In a 2004 study about the effects of environment-based education on students' critical
thinking skills, test results of 400 students (grades 9, 12) in 11 Florida high schools were
examined to measure their responses to Environment as an Integrating Context for
Learning (EIC Model) programs.11
Through an evaluation of performance on norm-reference tests (Achievement Motivation
Inventory, Cornell Critical Thinking Test, and California Measure of Mental Motivation) and
interviews with selected students, EIC programs were found to significantly raise scores
on all three tests.
Researchers at University of Illinois report findings that indicate exposure to natural
settings in the course of common after-school and weekend activities may be “widely
effective” in reducing attention deficit symptoms in children.
The authors surveyed the parents of 322 boys and 84 girls who had been diagnosed with
ADHD. These parents reported on how their children performed after participating in a
wide range of activities. Some of the activities were conducted indoors while others were
conducted in outdoor spaces without much greenery, such as parking lots and downtown
areas. Some activities took place in relatively natural outdoor settings such as a tree-lined
street, backyard, or park.
Health
scientists
found that
contact with
nature
reduces
symptoms of
ADHD and
improves
critical
thinking.
Findings: “In each of 56 analyses, green outdoor activities received more positive ratings
than did activities taking place in other settings. These findings suggest that green outdoor
activities are beneficial in reducing ADHD symptoms among both boys and girls.” 12
Runs With Scissors—Flickr
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TIME OUT: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance
NWF Seeks Solutions
Schools should not bear the entire burden for improving learning readiness via increased
outdoor time and exposure to nature, but they can still play a central role in helping
improve the capacity of today’s students in several specific ways.
Making School “Wellness” Plans Greener
The Department of Health and Human Services reports that as of 2007, at least 40 states
have produced policy guidance documents to help education agencies create wellness
policies.13
In the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, Congress established a
requirement that school districts with a federally-funded school meal program develop
and implement wellness policies that address nutrition and physical activity.14 The
National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity encourages schools to use, distribute, and
adapt the Model School Wellness Policies.15
In addition to focusing on eating habits and nutrition, the Alliance supports all K-12
students having the opportunities and encouragement to be physically active on a
regular basis, extending beyond traditional physical education classes. This includes
students receiving the nationally-recommended amount of daily physical activity (at least
60 minutes per day from the CDC).16
Restoring Recess
Recess is one time during the school day that children are
able to be carefree, allowing their minds, bodies, and even
their voices to be uncontrolled. Unfortunately, many schools
have cut back on recess as a way to increase the amount of
preparation students receive for standardized statewide
testing.
The Texas
state
legislature
now
requires 30
minutes per
day
of recess in
elementary
schools
statewide.17
Unstructured physical play is a developmentally appropriate
outlet for reducing stress in children’s lives and improves
learning readiness. The American School Health Association, the National Association of State Boards of Education,
the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in
State Departments of Education, the National Association for
Sport and Physical Education, the National Association for
the Education of Young Children, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, and a non-federal Task Force on
Community Preventive Services have acknowledged the
benefits of recess, physical activity, and physical education
as a regular part of a child’s school life.
Escotericansean—Flickr
Greening the School Grounds
While some schools are models of natural settings, most of America’s schools were
developed without thought to natural landscaping or vegetation. They are built
inexpensively on large open fields and typically feature large paved areas. Recent studies
extolling the soothing effects of greenery on children in a learning environment indicate a
new approach may be warranted.
Just having more trees and vegetation on the school grounds—no matter how simple or
modest a plan—can help create an environment more conducive to learning. Effective
examples of ways to “green” school grounds are as simple as planting trees and shrubs,
building plots for ornamental plants and flowers, and placing large potted trees or plants
on the roofs of inner city schools. In addition to the educational benefits of greening of the
school grounds, the activities are good ways to involve the community and parents.
9
Schoolyard Gardens and Habitats
National Wildlife Federation
has certified schoolyard
wildlife habitats in more than
3,400 U.S. schools and
helped create garden plots in
thousands more.18 These
areas have increased outdoor
awareness and time children
spend outside in several
ways:
Find out how
to create
your own
schoolyard
habitat at
nwf.org/
schoolyard
•
Hands-on creation and
management of the
habitat are positive
learning experiences for
both students and teachNWF
ers. Simple tasks of plotting the space, selecting
plant material and seeds while learning how to nourish and nurture the garden
or habitat make lasting impressions and enhance students’ abilities to see the
natural world and recognize their place in it.
•
Available high-quality curricula teach children about natural processes ranging
from growing food for humans to raising food plants for wildlife. Most of these
curricula are correlated with state standards for science, mathematics, socials
studies, and language arts and have demonstrated success in raising test
schools.
•
After-school educational programs play a larger role in the daily care of children
than they did 20 years ago. Schoolyard gardens and wildlife habitats diversify
the educational experience by getting kids out of the traditional classroom
setting while offering intensely interesting educational experiences.
Walk/Bike to School Programs
Schools help increase the amount of time
children and parents spend outdoors
each day by encouraging children to walk
or bike to school. A study of children
living within walking distance of schools
found that more than 90 percent of young
people walked in the 1960s while less
than one half of youth are walking today.
By working together with public works
and public safety organizations, local
school districts can help assess and
support improvements needed to make it
safer and easier for students to walk or
bike to school.
Groups such as the Safe Routes to School
Partnership and National Center for Safe
Routes to School offer creative solutions,
funding recommendations, and resources
for developing comprehensive and safe
programs to encourage more walking and
biking to school. The group offers
resources for programs such as the
“walking school bus” where children meet up under parental supervision and walk to
school in groups.19
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TIME OUT: 10 Ways To "Be Out There" -- Even After School Starts
10 Ways to Get Outside Even After School Starts
Parents: With homework, soccer practice, ballet – is there time in the
schedule to play outside? Here are some tips to get a Green Hour —
or at least part of an hour – during a busy day:
1. Scenario: Traffic made you late, there's no time to cook dinner, so
you drive the family over to the rotisserie chicken place to get a
quick meal.
Tip: Keep a picnic blanket in your car for an impromptu picnic on any spot of
grass you can find!
2. Scenario: Backpack? Check. Lunch? Check. You're ready to head to
school.
Tip: Whether you drive or walk to school, or wait with your child by the busstop, take a moment to notice nature. Make it a game of "I Spy" -- or download
this nature scavenger hunt at greenhour.org/hunt .
For more
outdoor
activities for
kids, visit
greenhour.org.
3. Scenario: Your child is studying
plants at school and, at the dinner
table, recites how photosynthesis
works. You, yourself, have never
successfully kept a plant alive.
Tip: Start small: All you need is some
bird-seed and a sponge. For spongegarden instructions, visit greenhour.org/
spongegarden. Next step: check out National Gardening Association’s parents’
primer for gardening with kids at kidsgardening.com/primer.asp .
4. Scenario: You and your youngest wait outside your older child's
school, a few minutes before the bell.
Tip: Look up at the sky together. "Wait, mom -- is that a sheep or a donkey?"
Picking out shapes in the clouds is a classic childhood activity -- and needs no
special equipment.
5. Scenario: Your child looks at you and says, "Mom -- I'm a little old
for cloud-watching!"
Tip: For older kids, combine technology with the outdoors and go geo-caching
or, the lower-tech version, letterboxing. There are about 20,000 letterboxes and
250,000 geocaches hidden in North America. Visit geocachi ng.com and
letterboxing.org.
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TIME OUT: 10 Ways To "Be Out There" -- Even After School Starts
10 Ways to Get Outside Even After School Starts
6. Scenario: The kids get home from school and immediately plop in
front of the TV. You suggest going outside. They respond, "Indoors
is more fun!"
Tip #1: Set time-limits for TV watching and video game playing. It won't be
popular, so make sure you have a back-up plan. If you have a backyard, kidcustomize it with a homemade fort, dart boards, a trampoline, a craft table. Set
up a bird house to keep wildlife visiting.
Tip #2: No backyard? Find your local parks using nwf.org/naturefind. For
older kids, start stretching their boundaries, allowing them to go for
unsupervised walks in the neighborhood with groups of friends. They'll love the
feeling of independence.
“We just moved
into our
neighborhood
and are shocked
that we are one
of the few
families that
spend any
significant
amount of time
outside. Where
is everyone?
After reading
the statistics,
now we know but we also
know where
we'll be -outside.”
Gretchen Eldridge,
a Massachusetts
mother of three
7. Scenario: Outside, it’s a perfect fall day, but you look at your
child’s homework assignments and realize outside play-time isn’t a
reality.
Tip: Take homework outside! There’s no reason math problems can’t be done
in the fresh air. Set up a clean outdoor workspace for your child on a patio
table, perhaps.
8. Scenario: Your daughter comes home from
school clutching new-found treasures: three
crumbly leaves, two acorns and a dirt-encrusted
rock.
Tip: Instead of putting them on the kitchen counter, in a
drawer, or—gasp—the trash, start a nature table. Set a
limit of how many items she can have in the "nature
museum" -- so they'll keep it to a manageable number.
Other ideas: use an old tackle or sewing box, or a
hanging shoe-organizer with clear plastic pockets. Have
your daughter decorate it!
9. Scenario: A blank piece of paper in front of her, your son asks you,
"What should I draw?"
Tip: Have your child make a map of your neighborhood — using only natural
landmarks. This will heighten observation skills and can be the first step in
creating a "field guide" to the nature in your neighborhood.
10. Scenario: It's 8 p.m. Dinner's over, but not quite time for bed.
Tip: Keep flashlights near the door, and go for a neighborhood night hike. Kids
will love the novelty -- and you can challenge them to identify "night sounds."
Learn how to make a moon journal at greenhour.org/moonjournal.
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TIME OUT: Using the Outdoors to Enhance Classroom Performance
Footnotes:
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
To find the
green
spaces in
your
neighborhood, plug
your zip
code into
nwf.org/
naturefind.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
1. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, Kenneth R., Committee on
Communications, and Committee on Psychosocial
Aspects of Child and Family Health. "The Importance
of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and
Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds." 119.1
(2007). American Academy of Pediatrics, Jan. 2007.
Web. <http://www.aap.org/pressroom/
playFINAL.pdf>.
2. National Association for the Education of Young Children. Web. <http://www.naeyc.org/>.
3. CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Division of Adolescent
and School Health. Childhood Obesity. 20 Oct. 2008.
Web. <http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/>.
4. Stein, Rob. "Millions of Children In U.S. Found to Be
Lacking Vitamin D." The Washington Post. 3 Aug.
2009. Web. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/
content/article/2009/08/02/AR2009080202114.html>.
"Outdoor time may protect kids from nearsightedness." Reuters. Optometry and Vision Science,
Jan. 2009. Web. <http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5146C920090205>.
California Department of Education. Effects of Outdoor Education Programs for Children in California. American Institutes for Research, 27 Jan. 2005. Web. <http://www.air.org/news/
documents/Outdoorschoolreport.pdf>.
Lieberman, Ph.D, Gerald A., and Linda L. Hoody, M.A. "Closing The Achievement Gap: Using
the Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning." State Education and Environment
Roundtable. The preparation of this report supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, 1998.
Web. <http://www.seer.org/pages/research/execs
Bartosh, Oksana. Environmental Education: Improving Student Achievement. Thesis. Evergreen State College, 2003. Web. <http://www.seer.org/pages/research/Bartosh2003.pdf>.
National Environmental Education & Training Foundation. Environment-based Education: Creating High Performance Schools and Students. Rep. Sept. 2000. Web. <http://
www.neefusa.org/pdf/NEETF8400.pdf>. um.htm>.
Bartosh, Oksana. Environmental Education: Improving Student Achievement. Thesis. Evergreen State College, 2003. Web. <http://www.seer.org/pages/research/Bartosh2003.pdf>.
Ernst, Julie (Athman), and Martha Monroe. "The effects of environment-based education on
students' critical thinking skills and disposition toward critical thinking." 10.4. Environmental
Education Research, Nov. 2004. Web. <http://
pdfserve.informaworld.com/185373__713670749.pdf>.
Kuo, PhD, Frances E., and Andrea Faber Taylor, PhD. "A Potential Natural Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence From a National Study." American Journal of Public Health 94.9. Web. Sept. 2004. <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?
artid=1448497>.
Wechsler, Ed.D, MPH, Howell. "Using School Wellness Plans to Fight Childhood Obesity." Address. U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.
10 May 2007. Web. <http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2007/05/t20070510a.html>.
United States Department of Agriculture. Food and Nutrition Service. Child Nutrition and WIC
Reauthorization Act of 2004. Web. 30 June 2004. <http://www.fns.usda.gov/TN/Healthy/108265.pdf>.
Model School Wellness Policies. National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity. Web. <http://
www.schoolwellnesspolicies.org/>.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How much physical activity do children need? 5
Nov. 2008. Web. <http://www.cdc.gov/
physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/
children.html>.
Coordinated Approach To Child Health
(CATCH) Program. University of Texas
School of Public Health. Web. <http://
www.sph.uth.tmc.edu/Catch/
Legislation.htm>.
"Schoolyard Habitats Educator Resources." National Wildlife Federation.
Web. <http://www.nwf.org/schoolyard/
educatorresources.cfm>.
"The Walking School Bus: Combining
Safety, Fun, and the Walk to School."
University of North Carolina Highway
Safety Research Center, et al. Web.
AM Images—Flickr
13
<http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/
walking_school_bus/pdf/
wsb_guide.pdf>.
TIME OUT :
Using the Outdoors to Enhance
Classroom Performance
A School Readiness Guide for
Teachers and Parents
Be Out There - www.BeOutThere.org
National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There public
education campaign is aimed at informing and
educating American parents about the importance
of children having more outdoor time on a regular
basis and how to make that happen.
NWF’s initiatives include working with state and
federal level policy-makers to advocate for the
strengthening of environmental education
programs and unstructured outdoor playtime.
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